Humanitarian Footprint: Meet Uma

Uma grew up in the Northwest region of Cameroon, an English-speaking region in the predominately French country. Uma has never traveled out of this region and has a younger brother and sister which she looks after. Her parents are illiterate, her mother is a tailor and her father trades used automotive parts near a local taxi stand in the Town Square. For fun, Uma swims in rivers and loves to get lost in novels.

Since Uma can remember, she has had an appreciation for learning and a strong desire to spend time with animals. She’s always dreamt of someday becoming a veterinarian.

Uma’s parents struggled to afford school fees for her, however they managed to get her into a secondary school. Dissatisfied with the schools education and ashamed of having spent her families total income on poor education, Uma has spent the past 4 years shoring up knowledge gaps by using the Himalayan Institute’s Public Library.

“My school did not teach me to use computers. This is unfortunate as computer literacy is a prerequisite for attending veterinary college. I study on the libraries computers and have taught myself computer sciences”.

Uma has just completed secondary school and announced her plans to attend a veterinary school in 2014. She knows it is her turn to pay this blessing forward by going to college, getting a job and supporting her younger siblings through school.

We are proud of Uma for setting and reaching her goal and we know she’ll thrive in the university… Go Uma!